Sometimes, striving to do right by others - from caring for the planet, to caring for a person - can feel really awesome.
Other times it can kind of really suck, and be hard, and, also, well, sort of feel quite overwhelming.
No matter the challenges, sometimes you just have to keep going.
You never truly know what sort of proverbially positive seeds your and your compatriots’ efforts might be planting.
That’s basically it.
Below are some examples of creative works by other human beings that brought this spirit of persistence to life for me:
Keep going: playing one of the most frustrating video games ever made:
Now then, dear reader, have you heard of a video game called: Getting Over It?
In short:
You play as a person hanging out in a cauldron, for reasons unknown.
Your only tool? A giant (what looks to me like a) rock hammer!
Your goal? Climb a ‘mountain’ of bizarre, unforgiving terrain.
No checkpoints. No safety nets. One mistake, (and you will make mistakes) then you’ll fall. Sometimes a little, sometimes all the way to the start.
There is no mercy. There is only you, your rock hammer, and the climb.
Oh, and scattered along the way: philosophical musings, music, and reflections. A (also frustratingly) potent mix of torment and wisdom.
I personally found Getting Over It to be a very good microcosm for how it feels to try to reach for something higher in, er, complex terrain…! Especially when it comes to either falling short and/or feeling let down, and potentially losing a lot of progress.
Popular YouTubers who’ve played the game have videos whose titles include: “I LITERALLY THROW A CHAIR IN RAGE”, “THIS GAME IS THE TRUE MEANING OF SUFFERING”, “ANGRIEST I’VE GOTTEN AT A GAME” and so on.
(Since this is striving to be a relatively family friendly Substack, I won’t link to some of the ‘rage compilations’ out there either… Also, if you really want to bring some, er, self discipline, try playing it on a mobile device!).
Why bring up Getting Over It here, on Planetary Practitioners?
In Getting Over It, despite the rage, despite the setbacks, many players do reach the top. They might not want to do it again, but they’re glad they did it - even if once was enough for that particular quest.
Some even go further. They become speedrunners. Masters of the climb. They learn the terrain, refine their tools, and forge new paths for others who come after.
Keep going: listening to a very humbling and heartening podcast by a former Navy SEAL
Jocko podcast is pretty huge these days. I’ve listened to it since 2016.
For me, an unsung part of it is when Jocko reads out stories of and/or interviews people who have gone through incredibly heavy things - often during periods of war. The grace, faith and humanity - despite everything - in many of the stories Jocko shares is something I often think about today.
As one of many, many examples: below should be a time-stamped section from Jocko Podcast 58, where Jocko reads out a letter from a young Australian Soldier in World War II: John M Byrnes, to his 2 year old daughter (note: the episode deals with bereavement in the context of the preciousness of life).
If I recall correctly, one of the (also many very impactful) things Jocko sometimes talks about is the advice that he and other SEALs tend to give to people going through the legendarily gruelling basic training process: Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Training.
Sometimes, the advice is two simple words: Don’t quit.
I.e.: keep going!
Keep going: Cosmos: the open road still softly calls
All three seasons of Ann Druyan and Carl Sagan’s legendary TV series: Cosmos have gotten me through many a personally heavy night.
The original 1980 Cosmos series is still my favourite. Highly deserving of its 9.3/10 rating on IMDB (48k votes at time of writing). According to NASA, it was watched by more than 500 million people around this planet we call home, and became the most-watched show in public television history.
Both the 2014 Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey and the 2020 Cosmos: Possible Worlds are also wonderful in so many ways. (I hope to write much more about these and some related subjects).
Watching an episode would basically say to my soul: it’s ok to rest now. But, also, keep going!
One awesome Redditor even made a 4k remaster of the original series!
It’s also ok (and often very brave) to ask for help.
And it should go without saying that if you really need serious help, your GP and other services in your area should be available - and able to help. See the quote from Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse below.
“‘What is the bravest thing you've ever said?’ asked the boy.
'Help,' said the horse.
'Asking for help isn't giving up,' said the horse. 'It's refusing to give up.”
Yes, you!
So, yes, if you work hard for people and/or the planet, in whatever ways, the moral weight can sometimes feel enormous for one human being. Especially if you feel like you are letting others down, or not able to carry everything that you might feel you have to.
Still, the reality is, things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes, it’s deeply exhausting. It can make you feel like you’re not good enough, like your efforts don’t matter, like maybe you should step away.
And let’s be clear: no one should feel they have to do more than they can. That’s important.
For the game Getting Over It: One popular YouTuber does give up - but then they go and play another game. Here I would argue that even moving into something new in the planetary arena - or deciding to take a bit of a breather before getting going again - is still moving forward.
In many games, the best players aren’t always the most skilled, or the luckiest…they’re just the ones who kept going when everything told them to quit; and who - directly and indirectly - might be helping others to do the very same.
Because if you keep going, you just might see something new. Something better. I’ve seen that myself. I still have a long way to go, but there have been some days where I’ve just had the nicest time, and really felt like I was able to be helpful to someone or something.
So, again, ultimately, it’s two words: keep going.
Yes, you!
-DA
P.S. I hope to get into writing about a range of themes - from the planetary to the practical. This one felt like an important one to get out towards the beginning.